Beijing, Feb 1 (AP) Olympic officials in Taiwan have reversed a decision to skip Friday's opening ceremony of the Beijing Games, saying they were pressured to do so by the IOC.

Taiwanese athletes compete as Chinese Taipei at the Olympics as part of a decades-old agreement with China brokered by the International Olympic Committee. China claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its own territory and has an ongoing policy of diplomatic and military intimidation.

Also Read | IPL 2022: I Like to Take Responsibility, Looking Forward to Lead Ahmedabad, Says Hardik Pandya.

The IOC said Tuesday “the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee has confirmed its participation” in opening and closing ceremonies at this year's Winter Games. The statement did not address the Olympic body's own role in the process.

Officials in Taiwan said the country would “adjust” its plan not to have an opening ceremony delegation in Beijing after repeated requests by the IOC to attend and fulfill obligations under the Olympic Charter.

Also Read | Mason Greenwood Faces More Humiliation After Manchester United Striker Gets Removed From FIFA 22 Game Following Arrest on Suspicion of Girlfriend Harriet Robson’s Rape and Assault.

Last year, the IOC cited charter rules when suspending North Korea from the Beijing Games for refusing to send a team to the Tokyo Olympics.

The Taiwanese team, which has four athletes competing at the Beijing Games, had also identified COVID-19 security among reasons not wanting to send officials to the ceremonies. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)